Pyongyang, Feb 18: The world’s most secretive country, North Korea, is now in the throes of a power transfer.
Dictator Kim Jong Un is officially appointing his daughter Kim Ju Aye as his successor, international intelligence reports have warned, angering Kim’s influential sister Kim Yo Jong.
South Korea’s National Intelligence Service has released a significant report. Kim Ju Aye, who is about 13 years old, is no longer just in training. Instead, she has been promoted to the position of designated successor, the report said. Kim has also kept his daughter with him during recent missile tests, military parades and meetings with the Chinese president, further reinforcing this suspicion.
This is said to have disappointed his sister Kim Yo-jong, who had her eye on the position. Kim Yo Jong enjoys strong support in the North Korean military and Communist Party. She is considered the second most powerful person in the country.
Kim’s promotion of his daughter could be a setback for Kim Yo Jong’s political ambitions. According to British media reports, if Kim Jong Un’s health deteriorates, there could be a fierce power struggle between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.
There is speculation that Kim Joo Aye will be given any military or political rank at the North’s massive party congress later this month. Giving her daughter more power would surely anger Kim Yo Jong.